Jude Bellingham handed ‘14 or 15 starters’ warning by England boss Thomas Tuchel as Real Madrid superstar battles with Morgan Rogers for World Cup No.10 role

Tuchel has made it clear that reputation alone will not secure a place in his starting line-up for the upcoming World Cup. While Bellingham remains a focal point of the national team’s ambitions, the German tactician has emphasised that he views his squad as having a vast pool of starting-calibre talent, leaving the 22-year-old in a competitive battle for minutes.

When asked directly if the Real Madrid midfielder has a fight on his hands to be in the starting XI, Tuchel told reporters: "Yes, he has. He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters. These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them."

The primary challenger to Bellingham’s throne in the attacking midfield position has been Rogers. The Aston Villa man has become a favourite under Tuchel, featuring in 12 of the manager's 13 matches in charge. Most notably, Rogers was the only player to be involved in every single one of England's eight World Cup qualifying matches, suggesting he currently holds the tactical edge in the manager's preferred system.

Bellingham’s involvement has been more sporadic since Tuchel took the reins in January 2025. The former Borussia Dortmund man has started just four times under the new regime, with a further three appearances coming from the bench. This is a stark contrast to the Euro 2024 campaign under Gareth Southgate, where Bellingham missed only 29 minutes of action across seven matches.

The relationship between Tuchel and Bellingham has not been without its friction. The manager previously described Bellingham’s on-field behaviour during a defeat against Senegal as "repulsive," a remark for which he later apologised. Further tension arose in November when Tuchel stated he would "review" the player's behaviour following a visible reaction to being substituted during a qualifier against Albania.

Injuries have also played a role in Bellingham's interrupted rhythm. He missed qualifying matches due to a shoulder injury and was even overlooked for the October international camp. Despite these setbacks, Tuchel was quick to praise the midfielder's impact during the recent warm-up victory over New Zealand in Tampa, where Bellingham wore the captain’s armband after being introduced at half-time.

"You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite," Tuchel said after the 1-0 win. "This is his key characteristic, but you can see that he comes from an injury and is full of energy and happy to be back on the pitch. He had his break, unfortunately, in a decisive part of the season, the Champions League season and campaign for the championship in Spain, so this was very unfortunate for Real Madrid and for him personally."

Whether it was enough for Bellingham to see off the challenge of Rogers and cement a permanent spot in Tuchel's "14 or 15 starters" remains the big question for the Three Lions. With the tournament on the horizon, Tuchel believes Bellingham is finding his best form at the right time. "You can see now that he is actually in a sweet spot," the manager added. "He comes back, he's fresh, he wants to play and he's in top shape."